To the editor:

This April 15, let’s make it 15 in a row in Closter.

For the past 14 years, our town’s voters have approved the school budget in the annual board election, helping to make this one of the best school districts and one of the nicest places to live in the state. Writing as the entire slate of candidates for the upcoming election, we urge you to come out between 2 and 9 p.m. on Election Day and vote yes once again.

With recent years seeing up to 47 percent of New Jersey’s towns rejecting their budgets and even Closter’s passing by just a few dozen votes, this is no time for friends of public education to be complacent. Every year, mothers with toddlers under their arms, proud grandparents and harried commuters returning from the city just in time for the 9 p.m. poll closing have helped to make the difference in passing the budget.

For those people reading this who may have stayed at home or even voted against the budget in the past, your sentiments aren’t so hard to understand. Of all the taxes we are asked to pay – federal, state and local – the only one we can vote on directly is every April during the school election. For young families to senior citizens on fixed incomes and everyone in-between, maintaining our standard of living in Bergen County seems to get tougher every year. It’s a tempting but misguided choice to take it out on the kids, especially since sub-standard schools can harm the entire community.

One reason that so many budget votes fail is that the sums involved seem huge, and this requires some explanation. Here in Bergen County, the cost of funding our schools is disproportionately and unfairly shunted onto local taxpayers. In a year that has seen Governor Corzine pushing what has been described as a "cold turkey" state budget, Closter has faced years of cold turkey and expects to receive yet another tiny increase – a boost of under $21,000 for our $16 million school budget -- from the state next year, despite skyrocketing costs for utilities, insurance, pensions and special education.

At $745,341 or just less than $700 a student, our state aid compares to funding of over $13,000 per head in the state’s poorest districts. In fact, due to quirks in the funding formula, Closter receives far less than most affluent districts around the county and state. The sums involved are no longer fair. Instead of voting "no" or staying home, we would urge concerned voters to direct their energy and ire at Trenton rather than our kids.

In crafting the budget, the board carefully balances our responsibility to taxpayers with the desire to maintain or improve the quality of the schools. Spending per pupil of $11,101 last year, below both the state and county average and far below even many inner-city districts, is a testament to the quest for greater bang for our buck. Past editorials in these pages have criticized the average teacher salary in Closter, which we acknowledge is quite competitive compared to other districts. Speaking both as board members who have seen very low staff turnover along with a deluge of impressive resumes for job openings and as parents who have been wowed by the excellent, motivated staff, this seems to be an odd point of disapproval with a school system that runs an overall tight budgetary ship.

This year’s proposed budget once again shows our school administrators’ ability to get adequate bang for our buck with the lowest percentage tax levy increase in well over a decade, equivalent to $205 for the average homeowner. This includes a return of $304,526 in surplus cash to offset local property taxes, the hiring of a new full-time reading specialist and librarian and part-time ESL teacher, important safety upgrades and the replacement of dozens of antiquated computers.

Please vote YES on April 15.

Lydia Forstmann

Ann Ginsberg

Leslie Spencer Jakab

Dolores Witko

Closter candidates for Board of Education

To the editor:

In the ‘60s a lot of people "turned on and tuned out." Today we’re so tuned in; we are "WiFi-ed" and "GPSd" 24-7. Armed with cell phones, BlackBerrys, iPods, satellite radio and instant messaging, many of us have never been more "connected" … or so overwhelmed.

In the steadily growing chaos we call life - with its never-ending meteor shower of information, commentary and noise - more and more people are rediscovering the quiet delight of sending and receiving cards and letters.

Letters help make moments special. Joys are recorded, shared and savored. Problems fade, or at least they gain perspective when they are written down and shared with family or friends by mail. When you sit down to write a letter to a friend, you are never alone.

Taking the time to write a letter says so much to the recipient. Pausing to think about your friend or loved one, to revisit your memories and experiences and to put those thoughts and emotions on paper, bring these feelings to life for you as well as the recipient. And when flowers have wilted, chocolates have turned to unwanted pounds, IMs and e-mails have been deleted and phone conversations have been forgotten, letters of love and messages of comfort and consolation remain, to be read and appreciated over and over again.

Unplug. Turn off. Slow down for a moment or two. Take off the headset. Recognize that sound? It’s called "silence." Kinda nice, huh? Savor the moment. Then share it and your feelings with a friend or loved one. Write them a letter. Show them you care in a personal, lasting way.

Roberta Tsaggos Hoag, Postmaster

Haworth Post Office

Says Rooney has influence on council

To the editor:

Former Mayor John Rooney has inserted himself in the Deluxe Cleaners issue by writing to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) expressing his concerns with the work the former environmental engineering firm produced on behalf of Northvale. He is, supposedly, doing this as a State Assemblyman and, if so, has every right to do.

This is coming from a man who has demonstrated time and time again a complete disregard for the DEP rules and the environment.

As mayor and member of the Planning Board Rooney allowed a developer to build a home in the flood plain on New York Avenue and raise the elevation of the property violating our ordinances and DEP rules. He did nothing about it. As mayor he allowed a business to pave borough owned property on Union St. within the flood plain, without borough permission to do so, without DEP permits and without borough permits. As mayor, Rooney allowed the borough owned Deluxe Cleaners site to languish for ten years without any environmental remediation work being produced knowing that the property was useless until cleaned up. As mayor for 24 years Rooney heard the rumors that the Tect Danzig site had been contaminated in the 1950's and 60's by a former owner and did nothing about it until the owners abandoned the property and the Borough was stuck with it.

I raise this issue because Rooney has injected politics into our environmental future and possibly our families health. As a concerned citizen, I believe we must stop politicizing the cleanup of Northvale's environmentally challenged properties, stop deliberately misinforming the public regarding the status of Northvale’s environmental issues, and stop looking the other way (the reader may pick a reason why) on behalf of people with vested interests. As an elected official Rooney should know the only people with vested interests are the residents of Northvale. I believe the Republican members of the Borough Council are being swayed by Rooney and are acting as surrogates for him and his agenda. The Republican Council members, as quoted in The Record newspaper, stated people living near Deluxe Cleaners "are at risk". At Tuesdays council meeting, when challenged about the statement, they said well no, not really.

Given the information we have so far, it is evident to me by the votes cast, the Republican members of the council are in step with each other, are playing politics with our environmental issues and do not have a plan or any idea of what the end game is. They seem to be winging it for political gamesmanship.

Former councilman William Sillery

Northvale

Strompf is right choice for district

To the editor:

Sharon Strompf and I have been friends since 2003 when our daughters entered kindergarten together at Mackay School. Since the beginning of our friendship Strompf has always been a hands on parent. First as class parent then wanting to do more became President of the H.S.A. (Home School Association). Her achievements and accomplishments are endless and she is still becoming more involved with the community by now running for representative of the Board of Education.

Strompf has always been a fair and very diplomatic individual. She goes out of her way to make sure that all groups and nationalities are respected and heard. And with our diverse community this trait is extremely important. The most important fact that Strompf will offer the Board of Education is that she has two children who in the Fall of 2008 will be attending the elementary school and the middle school. Strompf will provide a deeper understanding of the needs and wants of the school system. Therefore, she will be very diligent and conscientious when making any decision. Not only will the Tenafly community be impacted by her decision but she family will personally be affected by the decision. She truly has a vested interest in maintaining the ELITE status of the Tenafly School System. To me, her everyday dealings with the school system is the best qualification for a candidate of the school board.

Archondia Condos Dulot

Tenafly

AP test policy is wrong

To the editor:

"[Superintendent Jan] Furman said one consideration she will raise for the school board is the fact that the district spends "a little more than $1.1 million on the AP program." She said she and the school board have an obligation to the taxpayers as well as the students and their parents.

"I don’t know how we can ask taxpayers to continue to spend $1.1 million on a program and call it AP when we have a high of 49 percent of students taking the test." — Northern Valley Suburbanite article.

Gee, this is a new twist.

Because 51 percent of the students who enrolled into AP classes chose not to take the exam, it’s not an AP program?

I don’t think so.

The AP curriculums are submitted for College Board approval and I am sure that NVRHS has very qualified AP teachers, who are part of a very rigorous AP program.

That same 51% chose to be in the AP program and made their own choice not to take the exam.

Take away their "Freedom of Choice" and voila - 100% participation.

Before, Furman seemed to be very about "testing the rigors of NVRHS AP" and now she seems more concerned about "the taxpayers".

The College Board makes more money with "Pay or Fail" .The NVRHS makes more money with "Pay or Fail."

The students (and parents) lose another "freedom" with "Pay or Fail." The administration’s "old arguments." are very weak and they probably know it.

The NVRHS Administration appears to be creating new arguments with the hope that they will get more Public Support for their Draconian practice of "Pay or Fail."

These AP students are the ones who give NVRHS the reputation for academic excellence.

Why must they be forced into AP classes and made to either "Pay or Fail"?

Steve Isaacson

Closter

Strompf great for school district

To the editor:

On April 15 as you cast your vote for Board of Education trustee, please vote for Sharon Strompf. Sharon has volunteered her time endlessly for the Mackay School Community. At Mackay, she has been involved as an HSA co-president, a school board representative a TEF representative and a class parent. At Smith School she has worked as a Special Education Aide and experienced first-hand the day to day events that teachers, administrators and parents face. For the district, she has served on the Governor and State Teacher award committees as well as being involved in the superintendent interviewing process as an HSA co-president.

Sharon has a tremendous work ethic with excellent communication skills. She cares about Tenafly's schools, children and residents as well as being an avid supporter of the arts. Sharon is very aware of taxpayer concerns and will work hard for Tenafly voters. She is not afraid to ask questions to understand an issue and she helps resolve conflicts by creative thinking. Sharon would be a tremendous asset for our school board.

Laurie Hyslop

Tenafly

Vote Strompf to school board

To the editor:

As election time for our local Board of Education trustees comes around again, I am reminded of how important this vote is for many towns. School board trustees are citizens of our town elected to govern our public schools. It is the school board that sets the direction for our schools, establishes and maintains an organizational structure that supports the district's vision and empowers the professional staff, provides support through its behavior and actions, ensures accountability to the public and act as community leaders. Financially, the BOE controls the allocation of a major portion of the property taxes we pay, which they invest in educational practices that help our children. In Tenafly, the 2007 apportionment of taxes shows 65 percent as local school taxes.

It is incumbent on us to choose our school board trustee wisely. In my town of Tenafly, one candidate stands out — Sharon Strompf. Sharon has been involved with the Tenafly public schools for years serving on her school's Home School Association Board including two years as co-president, Tenafly Educational Foundation Representative, Board of Education Representative and worked as a Tenafly Special Education Aide. All of these have allowed her to experience the dynamic relationship between teachers, parents and administrators. She has served our community wonderfully in the past by completing her many responsibilities by listening to others and staying aware of the issues. I support her wholeheartedly and know she will be a terrific trustee. On April 15 in Tenafly, vote for Sharon Strompf.

Winston Tsang

Tenafly